1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a door lock system for releasably latching and selectively locking a door of a motor vehicle such as a passenger car, van, truck, motor coach, recreational vehicle or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved, extremely versatile door-mounted lock system that includes a rotary latch and connection linkage assembly, with the rotary latch being operable to securely but releasably engage a door-frame-mounted striker, and with the connection linkage providing a highly versatile means for connecting the rotary latch with a wide variety of commercially available interior and exterior operating handle assemblies, with a wide range of key cylinder and sill button hardware, and with almost any desired relative mounting arrangement of the rotary latch, the interior and exterior operating handles, and other associated hardware.
2. Prior Art
It is customary to provide a side door of a vehicle such as an automobile, van, truck or the like with a door-carried lock system that is operable, when the door is closed adjacent a door frame that defines a passenger access opening, to "latch" the door as by bringing rotatable components of a rotary latch into surrounding and restraining, but selectively releasable engagement with a door-frame-carried striker.
It is customary, also, to provide a side door of a vehicle with interior and exterior handle assemblies which may be operated to "unlatch" the rotary latch and to thereby permit door movement out of its closed position.
Still further, it is customary to provide a key cylinder in association with the exterior handle assembly, with the key cylinder being operable selectively to "lock" and "unlock" components of the door lock mechanism as by selectively preventing and permitting the exterior door handle assembly from unlatching the door.
Typically, the door lock mechanism of a vehicle side door also can be "locked" and "unlocked" by vertically shifting what is referred to as a "sill button." The sill button usually takes the form of an elongate, interiorly accessible, vertically movable button that has a lower end region which is connected to a control rod that is housed within the structure of a door, and an upper end region that projects through a sill opening that is defined by the door structure at a location near the bottom level of a window opening that is defined by the door structure. Depressing the sill button to its lowermost or "locked" position causes the control rod to set components of the door lock mechanism to a "locked" configuration that will prevent at least the exterior handle assembly from unlatching the door. Raising the button to its uppermost or "unlocked" position causes the control rod to effect unlocking of components of the door lock system components so that operation of the exterior handle assembly will function to unlatch the door.
Moreover, it is known to provide a door lock system of a side door of a vehicle with apparatus for assuring that, when components of the door lock system are locked, the interior handle assembly (in addition to the exterior handle assembly) will be prevented from unlatching the door. This feature of fully disabling the interior handle when a sill button has been depressed (i.e., when the door lock system has been "locked") is particularly desirable for use with vehicles that transport children, the intended purpose being to prevent unwanted opening of a vehicle door as the result of a child's tampering with or operating the interior handle assembly. In the industry, such apparatus as may be provided to disable an interior door handle when a door lock system is "locked" often is referred to by the term "childproofing mechanism."
While vehicle door lock systems of a variety of configurations have been proposed, with many including so-called "childproofing mechanisms," prior proposals typically suffer from one or more drawbacks. One problem has been a lack of versatility of system components that severely limits not only the type, style, shape and/or structural configuration of doors with which a particular locking system proposal can be used, but also limits the relative arrangements of interior and exterior handle assemblies, key cylinder and sill button hardware with which a particular locking system proposal can be used. Moreover, the systems of prior proposals typically require custom made operating handle assemblies and/or other custom components, it being recognized that custom components often are relatively expensive to manufacture.
To the degree that some prior door lock system proposals are adaptable for use with commercially available components such as operating handle assemblies, key cylinder and sill button hardware, the complexity of the resulting door lock systems, and attendant difficulties of assembly and adjustment for proper operation that are encountered in installing the resulting systems often have proven to be undesirable and, in some cases, economically unfeasible.
Accordingly, despite a proliferation of prior door lock system proposals, a need has remained for an improved, highly versatile door lock system including a well proven basic type of rotary latch, and an associated connection linkage assembly, with these components being so arranged and interconnected that they are capable of working in harmony with a wide range of commercially available interior and exterior operating handle assemblies, as well as with commercially available key cylinder and sill button hardware.